Ruyi stared at the three treasures and asked solemnly: "This palace remembers that I ordered you to send charcoal quietly when I first ordered it. The following nobles cannot use red basket charcoal, which is troublesome. Are you honestly only sending black charcoal every time? ”

Sanbao hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Yes, yes, the little master's foresight, the slave didn't dare to mistake it once." ”

Ruyi's heart tightened, and she became more and more worried about Hailan, "That's good." Other palaces don't dare to say that Hailan is not the kind of person who trespasses, and she will not dare to steal. Ah Zhen, change my clothes for me, let's go and see. ”

Ruyi stood up, and Ah Ji was so anxious that he grabbed Ruyi's cuffs, "The little master can't go!" She made a tiger face and shouted to Sanbao, "Xianfu Palace is a pool of muddy water, and the position of the noble concubine is higher than that of the little master, where can the little master manage it!" If we don't go, it's time for the queen to go! ”

Ruyi calmed down and immediately asked, "Where is the queen?" ”

Sanbao nodded to the Heart Cultivation Palace, "Tonight, the emperor turned over the brand of the queen's mother." At this time, the queen mother was afraid that she would rest in the Heart Cultivation Palace. ”

Ruyi gasped, "The emperor has been busy with government affairs for so many days, and now it is the queen's attendant, who dares to disturb!" She only felt a chill rising from her palm, "But if you don't alarm the queen, the concubine in the palace has the highest position, I'm afraid this matter will drown." ”

Ah Jiu hurriedly persuaded: "Something happened in Xianfu Palace, the little master rushed to go, even if he arrived at the door, he couldn't help anything!" ”

Sanbao said anxiously: "But when the slave heard the news, he said that Hai Chang was about to be punished, and if he didn't go, if something happened......

Ruyi was taken aback, "Punishment? What kind of punishment? ”

"Cane punishment!" Seeing that Ruyi didn't react for a while, Sanbao hurriedly explained: "It's not about slapping the thigh with a board. Instead, he took off his shoes and beat the soles of his feet with a stick, which was much more painful than hitting his legs. ”

Ruyi lost her voice and said: "Hit the heart? ”

San Bao nodded and said, "Isn't it?" Who of us who are slaves doesn't know that hitting the leg is just a pain in the flesh, and it can't hurt the muscles and bones. But how delicate the feet are, a few strokes, it will hurt the body. ”

Ruyi is determined, "In addition to the queen and the concubine, I have the highest position in the palace, if I don't go, if Hailan is punished, I don't know what kind of injury she will be?" Without further ado, Ah Zhen, change my clothes quickly. Three treasures, go to pass the sedan chair. ”

Ah Zhen was about to persuade again, but seeing that Ruyi was in a hurry, she had to agree to go.

It was snowing like a light snow outside. Ruyi sat in the warm sedan chair, and the eunuchs who carried the sedan chair walked steadily and urgently, only to hear the soft sound of the soles of their boots rubbing against the stone bricks, and they flew in the direction of Xianfu Palace.

Ruyi holds the hand stove, usually feels warm, but at the moment holding it in her hand, it is like a burning heart, and it is so hot that her hands are piercing. From time to time, she opened the curtain and looked out, and Sanbao trotted all the way to follow, panting and saying, "Don't worry, little master." Yanxi Palace and Xianfu Palace are far apart, and we are already very fast. ”

Ruyi hung down the curtain helplessly, and was anxious, but heard Sanbao say outside: "It's here, it's here!" ”

The Xianfu Palace at night was brightly lit, and Ruyi helped Ah Ji's men to get off the warm sedan chair and walked quickly into the courtyard. I only heard the eunuch report in a sharp voice, "Concubine Xian Niangniang has arrived-"

The sharp tail note is still floating in the air, and Ruyi has already arrived at the bottom of the corridor. I saw that the main hall of Xianfu Palace was filled with gold with carved vermilion lacquer and suddenly opened, and the two columns on the left and right of the steps under the corridor were full of palace people, one by one, they were silent, only looking at the palace woman kneeling under the corridor.

Hui Guifei wore a brocade color embroidered bird pattern cardigan robe, and a large sable wind collar Xuanhu Dayu (1) draped on her shoulders, and she sat on the peony carved sandalwood chair in the center of the main hall, and the seven or eight stoves and charcoal basins next to her were baking like the stars and the moon. But Concubine Hui's face is not good-looking, she is a small and thin willow leaf body, probably out of anger, and after illness, the snow is full of gold brocade knurled and tanuki hair long skirt fluttering, rippling water-like ripples. She lightly swept her eyebrows and dyed rouge as usual, but her face was snow-white and snow-white, and the roses and rouge that looked good were also floating on her face, as if she couldn't eat it. Ruyi saw that her face was not good, so she hurriedly bowed and asked for peace: "Please say hello to the concubine, the concubine is blessed with peace." ”

Concubine Hui Guifei sat motionless on the chair, and only sneered: "Concubine Xian has never set foot in Xianfu Palace since the emperor divided the six palaces, why is it that even you are alarmed by the wind today, and you still break into the palace late at night?" ”

Ruyi saw that there were two pieces of dark plaster on her temples on her left and right, and a dark purple otter skin with pearls on her forehead was wiped on her forehead, which was really haggard and pitiful.

Ruyi hurriedly lowered her head and said, "I heard that the concubine Niangniang had a cold, so she came to visit at night." ”

Concubine Hui raised the corners of her lips, "What is there in this palace that is worth your hard work, but there is a thief in Xianfu Palace, Concubine Xian, your ears are happy, so I hurried to see the excitement." ”

Ruyi bowed her head more and more, "The concubine doesn't dare." ”

Hailan behind her whispered, "Guifei Niangniang, concubine...... A concubine is not a thief! ”

Concubine Hui smiled steeply, and said coldly: "You still dare to quibble, and you have to be hard-mouthed if you get all the stolen goods." Double happiness, hit this palace hard! ”

Ruyi hurriedly entered the hall, not daring to take a closer look at Hailan. When I turned around at this moment, I saw Hailan being forcibly stripped of her shoes and socks and kneeling on the cold stone bricks under the corridor, and a thin layer of broken ice formed on the brick edge of the steps, and I felt a chill when I looked at it. A pair of blue satin embroidered magpie plum blossom pot shoes were thrown at random in the snow below the steps, and gradually soaked by the falling snow, as undignified as her master.

Ruyi paid close attention to her feet, and there were fine beads of blood pouring out of her bare feet that were red from the cold. Seeing Ruyi's attention, Hailan was ashamed and tried her best to shrink her feet and hide it under her skirt, Mo Xin didn't say a word, and immediately lifted the corner of her skirt with her hand, and said coldly: "I often don't confess well, and I don't accept punishment honestly, don't blame the slave for being ruthless and lifting the corners of your skirt." It's humiliating enough to show your feet in front of your minions, and it's your own shame to let people see your calves again. ”

Hailan was shocked, and tried her best to lower her head and cover her purple face with shame and anger with her scattered hair, she endured the pain and argued, "The concubine forgives her sins, the concubine really didn't steal the red charcoal of the mother!" ”

Ruyi hurriedly smiled and said: "The concubine has a cold disease, and her face is not very good. I don't know why Niangniang punished Hai Chang Zai, and she had to use a staff to punish Hai Chang on both feet? ”

Concubine Hui turned her face and coughed slightly, Caiyue and Caizhu hurriedly stepped forward to hand over the tea, and beat the shoulders. Mo Xin cleared her throat and said: "Hai Chang is stealing the red basket charcoal used by the concubine Niangniang, and committing trespassing, so that the Niangniang lacks charcoal and has a cold attack, which damages the phoenix body. Isn't such a sin enough to be punished with the rod? ”

Ruyi hurriedly said: "Hai Changzai has always kept to himself, and nobles are not allowed to use red basket charcoal, and Hai Changzai didn't know it on the first day, how could it be like this?" ”

Mo Xin said disdainfully: "Then you have to ask Hai Chang to be himself." The slave and maid found the gray-white charcoal ash burned by the red basket of charcoal in the charcoal ash poured out of the house. And Hai Chang has also asked a few minions, and the palace maid Xiangyun who is serving Hai Chang has already recruited, and it is Hai Chang who instructed her to steal the red basket charcoal. ”

Ruyi looked at Xiangyun, who was kneeling at the bottom of the stairs trembling, and got up and walked up to her, "Xiangyun, is what Moxin said true?" ”